It can be hard to tell which games will become sought after at some point in the future. A game being sought a few console generations down the road almost always equates to a significantrise in value. Sometimes it can be easy to guess a game’s value, such as when it’s a limited run for a collector’s edition of a game in a popular franchise.
Many times a game doubling (or more) in price comes out of nowhere. A great example of this is Stadium Eventsfor the NES. At the time, nobody could have predicted that a copy of this game would fetch tens of thousands of dollars. Below is a collection of games that gamers might want to pick up now before their price goes up (any more than they already have).
Thishidden gemfor the PS3 could have been purchased for less than ten dollars less than four years ago. The price has since ballooned up to around $50 for a complete-in-box, or $60 for a sealed copy. There was a period when a sealed version went over $100 on auction sites.
This game is one that collectors can purchase now for $50, or wait and possibly pay twice that amount as available copies become more difficult to find from online vendors. This is a game that’s not likely to have a sizable drop in value but is almost guaranteed to go up in price over the years.
Mega Manis one of the games that gave the NES a reputation for having challenging games, and contributed to the saying, “Nintendo hard”. This game always retained its retail price, and even in the late 1990s - early 2000s sold for close to $25 (for a used copy).
Over the past year and a half, the price of this game has spiked to over $100. The price has dropped about 10% and can be found in acceptable condition for just under $90. This game’s price probably won’t drop any further. However, the next increase in value might not be a spike - it might be permanent.
For many gamers, this is the pinnacle of theMarvel Vs. Capcomfranchise. Sure,Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3(for the PS3) andMarvel Vs. Capcom Infinite(for the PS4) are much better-looking games, though the second game did feature beautiful pixel-art characters. It also had more playable characters thanthe third or fourth games in the series.
Two times over the last year, the price of this game has spiked over $200. The current price-charting value is approximately $150. This game is going to go up in value again. It might jump in value by $50 as it has, but the overall trend since 2016 is (on average) a $25 increase every year.
7Call Of Cthulhu: Dark Corners Of The Earth
A Lovecraftian Horror Game For The Xbox That Was Overlooked At The Time
There are a few reasons this could end up being a lucrative purchase. This game was one that critics gave high scores, but sold poorly. Games such as this always have a chance of being among the more valuable over time, as demand will be higher than the average critically acclaimed game.
Another reason to buy this game now is because there hasn’t been a major blockbuster movie based on H.P. Lovecraft’s works. When that happens (if the movie is successful),anything Cthulhu-relatedwill get a bump in value. It might only be a temporary bump, but it might last as well. Besides, this is a great game that’s worth at least one playthrough.
6Aliens Vs. Predator
Arguably The Best First-Person Shooter For The Atari Jaguar
TheAtariJaguar was a niche system. This was true even when it was still on store shelves back in the mid-to-late 1990s. One of the few “must buy” games for this system isAliens Vs. Predator. The average value of Jaguar games continues its steep climb - anyone wanting to collect this system had better get started now.
This game has never price-charted for less than $60 (loose copy). There have been two spikes in price over the last two years; these are always followed by a drop in price before the next spike. Right now, the game is at the bottom of a price drop. If history is a measure, this game will spike in value at some point over the next six months.
5Oddworld: New ‘N Tasty
A Modern Remake Of A Beloved Puzzle/Platformer
TheOddworldseries dates back to the 1990s;New ‘N Tastyis a remake of the originalAbe’s Odyssey. The biggest reason to buy this game now is that this was a limited-run game. In 15 years or so, when the PS4 is one of the last retro consoles with a large library of disc-based games, this game will be a valuable addition to your library.
This game’s price-charting value sat at $165 between 2021 and 2022. Its current listed value is $95. The current price is also about as low as it has ever been.
4Knight Quest
A Little-Known GameBoy Game That Is Experiencing A Drop In Value
Knight Quest, from Taito, is a fairly standardJRPG for the NintendoGameBoy. What’s not fairly standard is the price this game can demand. At its most valuable, this game was valued at over $300, but its current price-charting value is approximately $135.
Unknown titles such as this frequently experience drops in value from time to time. With retro games, however, the price almost inevitably reaches its previous high watermark; additionally, the long-term value will always trend upward with retro games. Buy this one now before its value climbs back to $300.
3The Orange Box (Xbox 360)
A Sought After Compilation Containing The Original Portal
After playingPortal 2, many gamers wished to experience the original game. The problem is that it wasn’t released for the Xbox 360 (or PS3) as a standalone game.Portal, along with other games likeTeam Fortress 2, were bundled onto one disc titledThe Orange Box.
This game has always sold for close to its original retail value. This is generally an indicator that the game is rare, sought after by collectors, or both. Last January, The Orange Box sold for around $30; this price is for a complete-in-box copy. The price-charting for this game is currently around $20. Not only does this compilation have many great games included, but it will likely climb back to its $30 value at some point.
2F.E.A.R. 2 (PlayStation 3)
The Middle Child Of An Overlooked Trilogy
F.E.A.R., andF.E.A.R. 3, are not difficult games to find - nor are they particularly valuable. Most stores that sell retro games will likely have a copy or two of both games hidden in a mountain of oldMaddengames nobody wants. The second game in the trilogy is another issue.
F.E.A.R. 2is undoubtedly the hardest game in the trilogy to find, at least on a store shelf. Due to this, it is also the most valuable game in the trilogy. The value of this game has gone as high as $20, but its current price-charting is below $10. Get this game now, because it might be a game that experiences a dramatic jump in value in the near future (likePuppeteer).
1Dungeon Explorer
A Gauntlet Clone For The TurboGrafx-16
Not many people bought the TurboGrafx-16 (known in Japan as the PC Engine). It was unfortunate enough to have to compete with the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo. While there were many incredible games for the TurboGrafx, one that was overlooked at the time was Dungeon Explorer.
This game took the formula for thearcade classicGauntletand improved it in nearly every way. There are more classes to choose from thanGauntlet(which have special abilities), an overworld, and boss battles. Most importantly,Dungeon Explorersupports up to five players. The price-charting trend forDungeon Exploreris a $10 increase in value approximately every 3 years. Even though the current value is at an all-time high, collectors will want to buy this sooner rather than later. The price isn’t likely to go down for any significant amount of time, but itisguaranteed to go up over time.
